Understanding the provisional ballot system helps voters without ID

1:53 AM,
Nov. 4, 2012

Molly Howard, of Newark, votes with her son Mason, 4, at the YMCA.

Written by

Russ Zimmer
CentralOhio.com

This Tuesday, millions of Ohioans will walk into a high school gymnasiums or churches to vote during a spare moment in their hectic days. Inevitably, someone's going to forget their wallet.

Not having a valid photo ID is one of several scenarios in which a person might have to vote provisionally, a form of voting where each ballot faces greater scrutiny. Provisional ballots are given to voters whose eligibility is in question. Are they who they say they are? Do they live where they say they live?

In the previous presidential election, 206,859 provisional ballots were cast in Ohio, according to ...